Al on the air tonight

I’ll play catch up during the slow news period following the holiday after the most extended blog break in a year, but wanted to pass along that Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will air a small portion of an interview with Raiders owner Al Davis tonight on “Chronicle Live.”
The show will air after the Giants game, with approximately six or seven minutes devoted to Davis as his 80th birthday approaches on the Fourth of July. Much more of the interview, as well as an additional conversation with Davis regarding the AFL-NFL merger, will be shown in the coming weeks.

Tonight’s excerpt will deal mostly with Davis’ youth growing up in Brooklyn and his roots in football.

I’ll bet Priestj and Hayedaze are wetting their pants in anticipation. lol

RaiderNationPA

I really hope Haluchak and Marshall add some toughness to our contact-shy linebackers.

RaiderNationPA

I’ve been waiting all summer for the Week 17 NFL Replays on the suckfest NFL Network only to find out that the Raiders-Bucs game is not one of the Replays. So now I have to watch the Jets game again for the 50th time.

Coach on Wheels

Well, the big problem is I might catch the end of the baseball game and lapse into a boredom-induced coma before Al came on.

RaiderNationPA

Anyway, since I pretty much know the Jets game by heart now, I have the missed tackles from our backers permanently ingrained in my mind.

Coach on Wheels

Dude, NFLN never replays Raider victories. Don’t worry, they’ll replay the Tuck game for the 8 millionth time though. (And for the 8 millionth time it’ll be a fumble not called a fumble)

RaiderNationPA

Yeah I know. That and the 1977 AFC Divisional game against the Colts that I respect but occured 7 years before I was born.

RaiderNationPA

Between the ones he wears around his neck and the ones he’s constantly dabbing his face with, how many white towels do you think Al goes through in day?

babymamadrama

Does anyone know why Jamarcus held is personal mini camp and then never showed up on the last day? Is this a crock of sit or is this true?

RaiderNationPA

And for that matter, what do you think they smell like? That should be the next poll question on RaiderBeat. I wonder if cleaning those towels was John Fassell’s first job with the Raiders.

RaiderNationPA

I never believe anything that weisel Lombardi has to say. He has no credibility when talking about the Raiders.

“It should be noted that Russell’s absence from the final OTA practice is not corroborated by any other sources. The two most Raider-update-obsessed sources on the web, The Examiner’s Patrick Patterson’s Raider Examiner page and the Chronicle’s David White’s Twitter page, don’t note Russell’s OTA absence.”

“Although he was drafted into one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the NFL, Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell continues to draw adverse reviews. Russell’s long-term future remains uncertain, but continuous remarks regarding his poor work ethic are becoming redundant. Russell has risen above several factors working against him and should be given a clean slate entering just his third season in Oakland.

Considering the adversity Russell has already faced during his young career in the Bay Area, the former first overall pick’s progression could be considered remarkable. Like almost all rookies, Russell struggled during his initial campaign in the league but showed flashes of brilliance a year ago. Now entering his third season with the Raiders, Russell has demonstrated many of the qualities that make for a successful starter in the NFL.

With Tom Cable now at the helm, Russell is already on his second head coach and is still in the process of learning the team’s offense. Russell was a part of the Lane Kiffin debacle which resulted in turmoil and embarrassment for all parties involved. Given what transpired under Kiffin’s watch, Russell was bound to fail but now has a much more stable platform to work on with the current coaching staff and players around him.

Russell has also been working with a lackluster group of wide receivers, but Oakland hopes to have addressed that void in this year’s draft. Russell has developed an excellent rapport with tight end Zach Miller, but the additions of rookie wideouts Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy should help boast the Raiders’ vertical passing game. Russell’s arm strength is one of his best attributes and must be utilized properly.

Oakland has struggled to just nine wins in the past two seasons combined and has provided its young players, including Russell, with little hope for success. However, Cable has managed to change the culture of the team in a very short period of time. Cable’s ability to connect with all facets of the organization is even more impressive given the situation he inherited last season.

Outside of demonstrating a work ethic comparable to the top players in the professional ranks, Russell has done everything asked of him and has shown improvement in the process. Russell has already overcome several obstacles while maintaining a sufficient level of play. With a new mentality in Oakland, things are looking up for the first time in years and Russell could be the biggest beneficiary of the Raiders’ new state of mind.”

r8rpaver

LIKE NO ONE HAS MISSED A DAY OF WORK..WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE..PLEASE….

The schedule will be the biggest problem if we fall back into our usual selves. It’s all about stopping the run and scoring points. If you look at the schedule scoring points won’t be near the concern as stopping the run in the first half of the season. With such a young team it will be very impressive if we start out slow and still maintain our poise long enough to start racking up wins.
Of course we’ve also seen that when teams decide to throw on us we’re really not that much better at stopping the pass either. I REALLY hope RR was the cause for our horrible D the last few years.

I fully expect Russell to make more bonehead decisions as he learns how to be a pro QB, but I also believe we will see some amazing things as well.

Monday night Raider vs Chargers. It’s time to take back our MNF crown!

RaiderRobG

Louis Murphy, is the off the hizzell is the rizzell dizzell fo shizzell my nizzells and will be a Raider for a long long time.

RaiderRobG

I remember before we drafted Sea Bass, our biggest problem was a defense that kept shooting itself in the foot and an offense with Jeff George that “Scored to Fast.”

RaiderRobG

I hope Russell unleashes that cannon on San Diego this year. I’m so sick of San Diego poser football fans. Give us two wins against the Bolts and the fans will stop showing up at Qualcom on Sunday.
I’m counting the Denver games as in the bag and possibly the KC games two…although I say possibly because I don’t know how Cassell is going to do.

RaiderRobG

“One Nation and we’re on the move nothing can stop us now!”

RaiderRobG

That we don’t have the three rings we should from those great teams (thanks to Tony Siragusa, the NFL refs and Al’s stubborness) does not change the fact that we’re still the teams of the decades.